At times it is Cold in Africa too...

I am often surprised to hear that people think it is always hot in Africa, this is far from the truth. It can get exceptionally cold at night and I have been pleasantly surprised to discover a hot water bottle in my bed while staying in one of the lodges in Swaziland. I have to admit, I was not expecting this, so it was rather a shock when I got into bed, I mean, there could have been a dangerous furry animal residing in my bed, admittedly unnaturally overheating to a deathly temperature and also inanimate.

Africa does have a winter as well, although maybe not the extreme temperatures that we are experiencing at the moment in the UK. But you do have to be smart when packing for a safari, especially when it is during the winter time, as it can be quite chilly whilst on a morning game drive.

I particularly remember a game drive in Botswana, this was around April time, when we were advised to dress warmly for the morning game drive. We were camping in Moremi Game Reserve which borders onto the Okavango Delta, and the temperature that night had been particularly cold, I'd even worn my woolly hat in bed. When I pitched up for the safari with woolly hat, fleeces and my sleeping bag, I did get rather a lot of strange looks and a few sniggers. However, I was the one laughing as I sat snug as a bug in my sleeping bag, nice and toasty warm, whilst the others braved the inclement temperature. It was only halfway through the game drive when I bravely emerged from my cocoon.

I enjoy the winter in Africa because this means cold nights, which makes sleeping easy, with cooler crisper days and bright blue skies – excellent for photography. Often it is shorts and t-shirt weather during the day, it's just shortened slightly.

My advice would be to make sure you are aware of the temperatures whilst you are away on holiday. A woolly hat is definitely advisable, along with a warm fleece for the evenings, and maybe some warmer trousers. Just in case there is a cold snap and you are caught unawares.

The best thing about the African winters is the chance to sit round an open fire, under the African stars, toasting your feet and listening to the noises of the African bush. Perfect.

Breaking Bungees - part of African Adrenalin?

Yesterday I watched in horror as Erin Laung Worth's bungee cord snapped over Victoria Falls. It brought back memories of the three times that I had bungee jumped from exactly the same spot on Victoria Falls Bridge. I felt sick watching it, it was exactly how I felt when I jumped, all three times. To date there have been no accidents at this particular bungee jumping launch pad, and this time the company, as well as Erin, were very very lucky. 

All over the world there are numerous adrenaline sports that those of us that are crazy enough to participate in, addicted to the rush of adrenaline coursing through our bodies. I have participated in white water rafting on the Zambezi in Zimbabwe and the Pacuare in Costa Rica, I have sand boarded on a sheet of plywood, reaching speeds of 70 km/h in Namibia, I have canyoned through a flooded river to get to clients in South Africa, jet boating in New Zealand, been the guinea pig for a new zip wire in Corsica (I was the third person to use it) and I have climbed into the crater of an active volcano in Vanuatu. Sometimes I'm surprised I'm still alive today.

As I get older, the need for this adrenaline rush diminishes, or maybe I am just getting wiser. Wisdom comes with age doesn't it? I had said to myself that I would never ever bungee jump again, and watching this footage completely confirms it. I am also not too partial whitewater rafting any longer and climbing into the crater of an active volcano, well, been there done that.

Nowadays I find that a trip to Africa provides all the action and excitement that I need in my life; close encounters with rhino, being in the middle of the African wilderness (sometimes by myself), trekking in the bush been mindful of the Big 5, baboon spiders and buffalo thorn, walking back to my accommodation in the middle of the African night and driving on the African roads. It is all an adventure in itself. This is certainly one of the great things about Africa, it can cater for everybody's level of adrenaline rush, from whitewater rafting to quad biking and walking safari to camping in the bush, tailor-made for everybody.

I'm looking forward to taking people on a Yoga Safari to Mozambique, pure relaxation in itself, and hopefully not too much adrenalin. Having said this, I will be doing a 13 section zip wire this year, along with camping wild in the bush... on my own. Well, I couldn't really miss out on a small amount of adrenaline could I do?

The Hamerkop - The Harbinger of Death?

The hamerkop has a curved beak and a head with a crest at the back which is reminiscent of a hammer, hence its name. Another creative naming for a dull brown bird of Africa.  Or is it that dull?

Remarkably this average sized brown bird has numerous myths, legends and local beliefs surrounding it. It seems to have taken far more than its fair share of mystical stories and sayings, making it rather an interesting sighting in the bush. However, most seem to be about your own death, death of your family, death of your neighbour or contracting some hideous disease.

The first legend that I heard was that if you ever looked into the water at the same time as a hamerkop, it would be the harbinger of death. I was not too sure whose death it would be, but it makes me think twice about looking into the water with a hamerkop in the vicinity. Other legends state that if a hamerkop flies over your house it apparently indicates that someone close to you has just recently died. It is also believed by the Malagasy that if you disturb a hamerkop's nest you will develop leprosy and the Kalahari bushmen believe that if you rob eggs from a hamerkop's nest you will be struck by lightening. All of which, in my mind is, is a bit of doom and gloom.

In some cultures it is also known as the 'lightning bird', a mystical bird which can take the form of a black-and-white bird, the size of the human, that can summon lightning and thunder with its wings and talons. The 'lightning bird' is said to have vampire qualities, having an insatiable appetite for blood, and is associated with witches and witch doctors. So not really a bird you'd like to mess with.

Despite all these weird and wonderful beliefs, I can't help but congratulate it on its own self-preservation. Wherever these beliefs have stemmed from we may never really know, but it certainly helps in the protection and preservation of the species.

Would you risk disturbing a hamerkop nest, with the very, very minor possibility of contracting leprosy?